Marketing has always been about influencing our consumer behaviour. And to do so, marketers always had access to an arsenal of methods and channels. TV was thought to be the most efficient for long, but nowadays we know friends are the most influential marketing channel.

And friends, well that is just what social media platforms are all about. So naturally, giants like Facebook have always ranked well in terms of consumer influence. Until Instagram suddenly outranked it.

According to a recent study commissioned by Takumi– a Japanese app which connects Instagram influencers with brands –Instagram is now the most effective social media marketing platform. Yes, Instagram, and in front of Twitter, Facebook and even YouTube.

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Instagram has been recognised for driving more sales and consumer actions than any other social media platform. Millennials were (obviously) found to be the most responsive group, with 68% of 18-24 years old claiming they are more likely to buy something after someone they follow on Instagram shared it.

But despite outranking Facebook (7th), YouTube (11th) and even celebrities (14th), Instagram only ranked 6th among the top 15 most influential marketing platforms, with friends and family clearly leading the way.

But even if TV is still ranking above social media, one can easily imagine how the trend will go over the next few years.

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Geoff is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of We are Social Media. He also leads the Social Media team at Zimmerman, an Omnicom agency based out of South Florida, USA. Geoff is also a visiting lecturer at Universities across Europe and the US, and an international #smm speaker.